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NAIROBI. –  China put forward the principles of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith, and pursuing the greater good and shared interests in 2013 to guide its cooperation with Africa.

Over the past decade, China’s efforts have greatly improved African people’s life quality and well-being and strengthened African countries’ development capacity. The two sides have also cooperated to build a robust China-Africa community with a shared future in multiple fields.

Being unable to access quality disease-resistant seeds that can withstand harsh climates has hindered African countries from becoming food-secure. Millions of people have been starvation-plagued for years, and malnutrition has been common on the continent.

China has helped African countries boost food security and alleviate poverty by introducing hybrid rice.

Charles Ngendakumana, a farmer in Bubanza province, northwestern Burundi, is a beneficiary of this initiative. Five years ago, with the guidance of Chinese agricultural experts, Ngendakumana started growing hybrid rice known for withstanding climatic stresses, pests and diseases.

After that, his farmland in Ninga, a village in the Commune of Gihanga, increased from half a hectare to five hectares, and the yield per hectare also tripled.

“I want to buy more land, more cows and several new water pumps when the dry season comes,” said Ngendakumana. This was unthinkable before the Chinese experts arrived when it was arduous work to secure enough food.

China has supported addressing food shortages on the African continent through various means, such as dispatching experts and constructing demonstration villages.

Beneficial trade

China has simplified import procedures to boost trade in African agricultural products. This March, the first batch of fresh Kenyan avocados arrived at a port in Shanghai and quickly made their way to Chinese homes.

Agribusiness Kakuzi Limited is one of the local firms that have secured regulatory approval to export avocados to China after Kenya signed bilateral trade protocols with China in January 2022, which paved the way for the shipments of highly nutritious tropical fruit and aquatic products.

The shipments to China have provided much-needed growth leverage for Kenyan producers seeking to diversify their markets, said Kakuzi’s managing director Christopher Flowers.

Benjamin Tito, head of the Horticultural Crops Directorate in Kenya, announced last October that Kenya had exported 1.7 million kilograms of avocados three months after exports began in August 2022. “China offers a huge opportunity for our farmers,” he said.

African specialties, such as coffee from Ethiopia, cashew nuts from Tanzania and cocoa from Cote d’Ivoire, all added to the number of “Made in Africa” products appearing on store shelves across China.

The flow of African agricultural products into China has helped reduce poverty and contributes to Africa’s sustainable growth.

Practical projects

With many African countries struggling with poor infrastructure in the past, China saw the untapped potential. In recent years, Africa has seen rapid transformation and development, from landmark infrastructure projects like the Africa CDC headquarters and the Mombasa-Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway to capacity-building initiatives such as the Luban Workshops.

China and Africa, which together account for about one-third of the world’s population, are working closely to build a high-level community with a shared future crucial to the well-being of all humankind. – Xinhua